Recent Graduate Creates Pollination Garden on Campus
When Jessica (Jess) Kowalski ‘22 enrolled in her Independent Inquiry class this past school year, she knew it was the perfect opportunity to combine her commitment to sustainability with her excellence in the classroom.
She researched, planned and developed the first pollinator garden on campus that would leave a lasting impact on the Academy and the environment long after her graduation.
Jess worked closely with faculty members and interviewed local gardening experts to ensure the success of her pollinator garden. She prepared the courtyard at Saint Joseph Academy for the installation of the garden, and after testing and assessing the soil quality, she planted purple coneflowers, Brown-eyed Susans and butterfly milkweeds, all of which are native to the region. No pesticides, herbicides or chemicals will be used in the garden to help increase the population of pollinators (insects such as bees, butterflies, moths, flies, wasps and beetles) which will stop at flowers to eat nectar and pollen for sustenance. In return, the pollinators unintentionally collect and spread pollen to different flowers. Without these creatures absentmindedly transferring pollen grains from a male flower to a female flower, plants would not be able to begin the process of seed reproduction.
She secured the funding for the soil testing and the initial 100 plants sowed in the pollinator garden. Knowing she would be departing the Academy this year, Jess shared her knowledge and research with younger Academy students who will continue to develop and care for the garden in the future.
